? about t shirt quilts
 

Someone has asked my daughter to make a memory t shirt quilt for him which means I am doing it. I have been reading up on this for days and the one question I have and is never discussed is the type of thread used on a home sewing machine for joining and quilting. Am I using 100% cotton or ?

Thank you for your help.

whatever thread you would normally use is fine. I use either a cotton or a cotton/poly thread. i no longer make t-shirt quilts for others, but when i did, I would first cut away sleeves & neck and then cut my blocks--if you use all the same size block it's easier. I use Pellon 911FF interfacing, with cotton sashings & borders and then just a meander to quilt--the shirts with the large "plastic" logo's you will want to quilt around, but be careful quilting through--they needle will sometimes be slower through it and if you have to rip you will be left with holes. And watch that you don't hit one of those logo's with a hot iron--it will make a huge mess! also, know that if your interfacing is not sticking well to a t-shirt it could be that the shirt is a poly and you'll need to adjust your iron. Good luck! p.S.--I'd make my DD work with me on this one--don't want all her friends getting the idea that she can make these!

You are brave, eyes. Everyone I know who has made one has said, never again. Definitely make your daughter help or better yet, let her do it and you help. I always refer people to the company that advertises in the back of the quilt magazines. Once they see the prices, $300 plus. I think they let that idea go.

I've made at least 10 t-shirt quilts and love doing them. Ditto what quiltingshorttimer said. Definitely avoid the plastic-y logos. You'll have a mess on your hands. And by "plastic-y", I mean if the logo is rubbery or raised, avoid it at all costs when quilting. Did it once, and never, EVER again. Also, make sure they wash the t-shirts WITHOUT fabric softeners or dryer sheets. Those can also prevent the interfacing from sticking. I know cotton thread is "traditional", but poly thread will last many, many more years than cotton.

I made one, a Harley-Davidson, for my son and never again. Have been asked and I told them I would be there for them if they needed help or advice..but one was enough for me. He loved it and that is all that mattered to me.....My blocks were all in multiples of 4"x4", 4"x8".....up to 16"x16", which gave me many sizes as some were turned to be 8"x4" etc.... It was a challenge, to say the least. I used the pockets from some of the shirts for my 4"x4"s. For some of the narrow but long blocks, I took photos and transferred them to fabric......took a long time to complete the 90"x90" but he has it hanging and is so proud to tell anyone asking that his mama made it for him. I used 53 Harley T-shirts, the granddaughter's baby Harley shirt, a few of his wife's shirts and even the other granddaughter's Harley denim pocketbook......it definitely is 'Family Harley quilt' !!!! GOOD LUCK WITH YOURS, it will turn out just as you hope it will.

Thank you for the quick replies and suggestions. This project is being planned long distance. And quilts have been a conversation between them for a long time as he still has a quilt from his grandmother. They will both be a part of it as much as possible with one in AZ and my daughter in the burgh but I will do the actual sewing. A t shirt quilt has never been on my list to do but this is a different situation with the young man dealing with a second corneal transplants at the age of 40 with no happy ending. He has an inherited disease which took his mother's sight also.
He understands it does take time and will pay for it but I am okay with just paying for the supplies. On good days when he can see and it makes him smile that is all that matters.

Wow, that is so sad- nice of you to do that for him.

extremely good advice.

In searching for clear and easy videos on T-shirt quilts to tell my customers about (and there are many, many really scary ones out there!), I found that Eleanor Burns' Quilt in a Day video is pretty good. She talks about the basics and does several different types of blocks using the front pocket logos and sleeve logos so you get a lot of questions answered. The only tip I would add is to lay a sheet on your bed and keep switching around the shirts until you have a placement you like and then roll up the sheet to keep that placement. Figuring out where you want them with the different colors and logos and size is the hardest part! (I found the shirts didn't hang easily on my design wall.) Take your time, do it in bits and try not to get frustrated - t-shirt quilts can test your patience!